By Maung Tha (Archaeology)
AFTER arriving at the Taung Tha Man Lake in Amarapura, first of all we went straight to the Monastery Campus in which Taung Min Gyi Buddha Statue is located, prior to heading for U Pein Bridge. While walking along the passageway to the premises of the religious edifice, there can be ancient old buildings seen on each side of the road. On climbing up along the brick stairways at the end of the passageway, a huge Buddha Statue can be seen sitting with the legs crossed, in all its grandeur.
The Statue is as an ancient historical one, known as the Basking Statue “Nay Pu Khan Kodawgyi,” once in the past. Taung Tha Man Lake situated in Amarapura Township, Mandalay Region is a tourist attraction for U Pein Bridge which had been built across the wide fishery and its peaceful environs of great beauty. Amarapura is located at 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) far from Mandalay. Due to the urban development, at the present time Amarapura completely became connected with Mandalay. Accordingly, all visitors to Mandalay come to call at Amarapura. During the Konebaung Era, Amarapura was the city of the Kingdom for two times, once in the reign of Bodaw Phaya (King Badon) in (1783-1823) and another in the rule of King Thayarwady in (1837-1857).
The Sacred Buddha Statue made of bricks which is located at the western end of the U Pein Bridge near to the Taung Tha Man Lake formerly used to reside in the open space without having any roof above, so it was renowned as the Basking Buddha Statue. In Taung Tha Man Region, it was built of bricks in 1148 ME (AD- 1786) by the donor Taung Min Gyi by the name of Min Hla Kyaw Swa, the high ranking executive officer of Artistes, who had ever served as the Chief of White Elephants, “ဆင်ဖြူဝန်”. Hence, it was also named “Hsin Phyu Wun Pagoda” after the Chief. In the Parabaik Map drawn by the artists in the Royal Palace, which was the writing tablet made of palm leaves in the form of accordion the Statue was recorded as ဆင်ဖြူဝန်ဘုရား. However, it was known as “Taung Min Gyi Phaya,” nowadays.
Measurements of Taung Min Gyi Buddha Statue are 46 feet 11 inches in height, with 36 feet 6 inches in width between the kneecaps while sitting legs crossed and 13 feet 1 inch in height of the crested headdress respectively. The sacred posture of the hands of the Statue is called “Bumi Phatha Mudra” as its fingers are touching the ground. The holy legs of the Statue had been sculpted in the position of practicing meditation, so it was called “Zarnarthana”.
At the time when Nay Pu Khan Kodawgyi was built, it had never roofed. Long ago, it was believed that it would cause great trouble to the worshippers if the Statue “Nay Pu Khan Kodawgyi” was kept under the roof. By word of mouth, it was learnt that it had collapsed though the Sacred Statue had ever been roofed once in the past.
Under the aegis of U Yin Gale of Chinatown in Amarapura, the sale of raffle tickets was launched so as to get contributions needed for the construction of the edifice for the Basking Buddha Statue to take the shelter under the roof. With the money gained from the raffle, a prayer hall managed to be built successfully. Thenceforth, the original name of the Sacred Buddha Statue gradually disappeared and it was well-known as the Taung Min Gyi Pagoda. However, the record of the date when it had been constructed was not found.
It had been written in the journal of “Tanung Min Gyi Myat Swar Phayar”, Henry Yule of the British Envoy Entourage which arrived at the Government Rent House of Amarapura in 1855 made a record in “the Court of Ava in 1855” that ‘Nay Pu Khan Kodawgyi’ / a great statue situated at the far end of Taung Tha Man Fishery Lake in Amarapura was smilingly looking at them, like the great statues in Nile Basin of Egypt.
King Mindon (1853-1878), 10th Ruler of Konebaung Dynasty ruled his kingdom residing in Amarapura in 1853. Before King Mindon moved the capital of his kingdom from Amarapura to Mandalay, Dalhousie, the Governor General in India sent the Envoy Entourage led by Sir Arthur Phayre in June, 1853, to Amarapura, which came there with two main objectives. One was to consult with King Mindon to fully acknowledge the British’s occupation of Pegu in 1852 at the end of Anglo-Burma War, as the Upper Burma Government and the other aim was to be able to record the various situations in Myanmar, accompanied by an English Officer named ‘Linnaeus Tripe who was serving in Madras Army & an artist named ‘Colesworthy Grant.’ Amarapura was the first-ever city in which the British Envoy established headquarters in Myanmar. The envoy team led by Sir Arthur Phayre lodged in the Government Rent House opened in 1795.
During the trip from Yangon to Amarapura, Mr. Linnaeus Tripe took over 200 photographs in all, and published 120 photos. Out of them, there included 50 photos photographed in Amarapura, including the picture of Nay Pu Khan Kodawgyi, which became a valuable record in history. The Sacred Buddha Statue taken by the photographer was surrounded by miniature stupas. He recorded in his book on photo record, together with the photograph that the statue was 37 feet 6 inches in height above the throne.
At the time when Bodawpaya (King Badon—1782 to 1819) ascended to the throne, he appointed his childhood friend, Taung Min Gyi as the Chief of the Royal Treasury, who had a son named Maung Shwe Kan.
Being a handsome youth whose father was so familiar with King Badon, Maung Shwe Kan used to flirt with daughters in the western royal chamber and young concubines of the King. On hearing this, King Badon summoned Taung Min Gyi to reprimand his son.
For fear that the whole lineage would incur the wrath of the King on account of his son’s imprudent foolishness Taung Min Gyi himself killed his son ‘Maung Shwe Kan’ at the ‘Cemetery of Two Mango Trees’ it was said. The then Amarapura city dwellers who had heard Taung Min Gyi’s execution of his own son lampooned that ‘Shwe Kan incurred the wrath of his father, happening to face his father’s execution mercilessly.’
On hearing about this, the King summoned Taung Min Gyi to appear before him and said, “I asked you to reprimand your son, instead you killed your son against my order. Feeling greatly saddened over his great regret for his own son, Taung Min Gyi had been said to have passed away after building 4 Standing Buddha Statues on the western side of Taung Tha Man Lake. One more pagoda was built in Yardaw village near to the village of Tagundaing in Amarapura Township, which was the native village of Maung Shwe Kan.
Due to the earthquake which struck in 1200 ME, Taung Min Gyi Buddha Statue was collapsed to destruction. Therefore, U Hmone, owner of the sawing business of Myin Yone Quarter, Amarapura got permission from King Bagan (1846-1853) to renovate the ruined Buddha Statue in the posture of sitting with legs crossed, in 1212 ME. With the subsidies granted by the King, U Hmone renovated the statue, it completely came to a finish in the year 1214 ME when King Mindon ascended to the throne.
As time went past, Taung Min Gyi Buddha Statue went uncared and unmaintained, and it was covered by bushes exuberantly again. During the period when the British Government ruled the country after taking King Thibaw to India Shwe Hlan Sayar Phoo residing in Mikesu Ywathit, at the east of Theingyizay, Amarapura in 1250 ME, cleared away the bushes in the surrounding area of Taung Min Gyi Buddha Statue and held a grand food-offering-ceremony to the Statue on the Full Moon Day of Tabaung month. Thenceforth, Taung Min Gyi Buddha Festival has been being celebrated in Tabaung month annually.
In the journal of ‘Taung Min Gyi Myat Swar Phayar’ it was written that the bottom of the present day’s Sein Daun Khon / decorative device resembling a row of upright leaves used in the Statue has been 85 square feet in width, with 10 feet 6 inches in height, 21 cubit 2 hand-spans between kneecaps while sitting with legs crossed, the length of the forehead 12 cubit, the width of the mouth 4 cubits and one hand-span.
In the description on the platform of the Buddha Statue it was expressed that the measurement of the throne has been 7 cubit in height, 33 feet from East to West & 47 feet from South to North. Each of the ears of the Buddha Statue is wide enough for a man to sit in, it was written.
We moved around the Sacred Buddha Statue clockwise to worship it and then we exited through the north gate to set foot on the Tarmac Road leading to U Pein Bridge.
In the campus of the Taung Min Gyi Buddha Statue, ancient edifices can be found. The Basking Statue, found among the Cassia Trees once in the Past, can be seen under the grand shelter nowadays, and we can worship it with deep devotion. It depicts Myanmar People’s heart-felt belief in the religion. Similarly obviously enough, the Sacred Buddha Statue had been sculpted with splendid handwork of Myanmar Architecture.
Reference : The Journal of Taung Min Gyi Myat Swar Phayar
The Journey to Amerapoora in 1855 (Linnaeus Tripe)
Translated by Khin Maung Oo
